Library honors long-time employee with open house

WINDBER - The Windber Library has been a “second home” to Grace Buchkovich for 32 years.

On Thursday Buchkovich was paid tribute for her years of service both as the library director and as a clerk as she started another chapter in her life, retirement.

Buchkovich who lives in Paint Township said she became involved with the Windber library as a patron by taking her children there.

“My youngest was interested in books and we all loved to read,” she said between greeting friends at the retirement gathering. “I told them if there was ever a job opening I would be interested.”

She did receive a call about a job opening and accepted the position but had to go back to school to receive her certification in library science.

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“I earned an associate degree while attended school at night,” she said.

This is when the library was still in its former location the old train station on Graham Avenue in Windber. “Things were very different back then,” she added.

Buchkovich said when she first started, there were no computers. Students and patrons packed into the little building crammed with books to read and do research.

“Now we have so much space in this building, it’s just so hard to believe what we had,” she said.

The library board knew that in order to stay competitive in today’s world, the library had to expand and add computers. In 2000, the library moved into its new location the former elementary school and added computers for the patrons’ use.

“It was a major move,” she explained. “We tried to move room to room but it was a lot of work.”

Once they settled into the new building, Buchkovich said she realized that adapting to a computerized library system, which was now required, was a bit to difficult for her.

“I didn’t go to school for computers and I really don’t associate a library with computers,” so a new director was hired. Buchkovich stepped into a clerk position until she decided to retire.

Now she plans on picking up on her hobbies, doing needlework and of course reading.

“I can now sleep until I want to and spend time with my children, 17 grandchildren and 12 great- grandchildren,” she laughed. “I still plan on coming back as a volunteer but working with the books, not the computers.”

At the open house held in Buchkovich’s honor, George Ledney, the president of the Windber Library Board said Buchkovich was “part of the growth” in the library going from a small community library to the now large library.

“Grace was a dedicated employee who established a friendship with many of the patrons. She is really going to be missed.”